Iconography of Byzantine Pictorial
Works of art and structures produced in the city of Byzantium after Constantine made it the capital of the Roman Empire (AD 330) were unnoticed for a long period. For more than a thousand years, until the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, Byzantine art retained a remarkably conservative orientation; the major phases of its development emerge from a background marked by adherence to classical principles.Byzantine art style is distinguished by three characteristics; golden background, similar faced characters, and patterned drapery folds. Byzantine art forms are also known for their iconicity. Byzantine achievements in mosaic decoration brought this art to an unprecedented level of monumentality and expressive power. Amongst the most famous of these Byzantine pieces are Crucifixion, Anastasis, and Pantocrator. Crucifixion is an outstanding example of Byzantine mosaic and its iconistic character. The Crucifixion is on one of the walls below the Daphni dome, beneath the barrel vault of one arm of the Greek cross, an unknown artist depicted Christ's Crucifixion in pictorial style characteristic of the post-iconoclastic Middle Byzantine period. The mosaic portrays the crucifixion of Jesus. Noticeable elements in the mosai
In addition, there is not much space given between the characters in the mosaic. Iconoclasts used popular symbols to convey the religious message, opposing iconophiles' portrayal of Christ and Mary as humans. The use of icons in the mosaic also gives an indication of the end of Iconoclastic period, and the rise of symbolism or iconism in the Byzantium. Stylized floral, animal, and architectural motifs provided decorative fill, resembling contemporaneous aniconic art of Islam. In 726, Roman emperor Leo III ordered the removal of religious images or icons, iconoclasm. It inspired the Christians, and astounded the non-Christians. Byzantine emperor Heraclius could not defeat the Arabs, who came with Islamic religion, and conquered the Byzantium's provinces, including Persia. By the beginning of middle Byzantine period, icons began to appear in the Church. Iconography led the middle Byzantine style into the late Byzantine art. In few years, Byzantium was craving for its life. There also seems to be symmetry in the placement of the objects. Instead of giving the whole story, iconographical representation leaves space for interpretation. Suddenly the Byzantine emperor felt the need of non-symbolic religious practice and ordered the empire to follow the iconoclastic order in order to regain the empire. Iconography gives life to the Byzantine pictorial art. It has been a great challenge for art historians to write about this period.
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